Railroad-signal



3. SULLIVAN; Railroad Signal.

No. 242,712 Patented June 7, 188i.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD N. SULLIVAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RA-l LROAD-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,712, dated June 7, 1881.

Application filed February 2, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD Nonnis SUL- LIVAN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a means of operatin g railway-signals at such times as when the ordinary semaphoric signal cannot readily be seen.

The invention consists in operating a signal, indicated either by alight or by sound, or both, by means of a lever arranged at the side of a railroad-rail and actuated by the wheels of a passing locomotive or car, the said lever being set for action or inaction by means of a line or wire extending to a railroad -station or other distant point on the railroad.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents an elevation of a rail of a railway, and showing my appliances and their connections. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the inner side of the rail, and embodying myinven; tion. Fig. 3 is a modification of the devicei Fig. 4 is a plan or top view of my improvement.

at represents a rail of a railroad-track.

b is a section of angle-iron, arranged parallel with and 011 the outer side of rail a, and of any suitable length. The angle iron or rail 1) is sup ported upon steel springs ff at or near each end, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower ends of the springs f f. are secured in clips 6 c, bolted together, the lower one extending under the rail and passing up on the opposite side, and securely bolted to the rail a, as seen in Fig. 1. The end of the angle iron or rail b upon which the wheel of the incoming train first passes is on a level with the rail a, but rises toward the other end, as shown, so as to modify the striking effect of the wheels. r

c is a long lever, having its fulcrum at d, near the rail. The end of the shorter arm of lever cis connected to the under side of-the angle iron or bar I) by means .of a swivel-joint, so as to admit of the lever being connected to the air-cylinder at any desirable angle. The longer arm of lever 0 extends at an angle from the bar b any suitable distance, and is made flat toward its end, so as not to act with too sudden a force upon the piston in the air-cylinder, and to allow of a 'more continued sound of the whistle. The end of the longer armot' leverc is connected by means ofjointed arms or links it to a piston-rod, k, on the lower end of which is a piston-head,j, working in an air chamber or cylinder, 1. 7

To the top of the air-chamber Z is attached a tube, a, forming a whistle, operated by the air as it is forced up by pistonj.

To the upper end of piston-rod la is attached, by means of a bracket, m, a rod, 01., having on-its upper end a red or colored glass disk, 0, constituting a danger or warning signal when it covers the white lightp in rhe lantern q, supported upon the frame T.

To the upper end of piston-rod k is attached the line or wire it, which passes over pulley s and extends to the station or depot from which it is operated.

The piston-rod 70 may be surrounded by a spiral spring, as shown in dotted line in Fig. 1, between the piston-head j and the top of cylinder 1, so that the piston-head may not be forced up with too great Velocity, and thus admit of a longer continued sound of the whistle.

Instead of a whistle, a gong or hell may be used as the audible signal, as shown in Fig. 3, in which the rope tis caused to raise the long arm of lever 0, having on its cndla ball or tongue, m, which strikes the gong 70.

The bar of angle -iron I) may be of any desirable length. If a series of whistles or beats of the gong are considered necessary, the length of the bar I) should be less than the space between the car-wheels.

lhe operation of my device is as follows: When the track is clear, and no cautionary or danger signals are required to give warning to an approaching train, the line or wire tis drawn tight at the signal-station or depot, by which means the long arm of the lever c is elevated,

carrying up the rod n and the coloredglass disk 0, and displaying the white1ightatp,indicating all clear. At the same time the short arm of lever c and the bar I) are depressed so as not to be aifected by the passage of the wheels of the train passing along the track. When the cautionary or danger signalis required the line or wire it is released from the signal-sisa tion, which causes the colored disk 0 to drop in front of the white light at 1), indicating danger, and bringing the short arm of lever c and the bar b into position to be operated by the action of the passing train, and causing the of which the lever c and bar I) may be set for whistle or gong to sound, thus giving warning action or heldin a position for non-action, suh- I 5 to the incoming train. stantially as specified.

WVhat I claim as my invention is 3. The combination, with the bar b, of the 5 1. The combination of the rail or bar b, supsprin gs f f and the clips or supports 6 e, secured ported upon sprin gs f f in bearings e c, the lever to main rail (1, as and for the purpose set forth. 0, jointed arm h, piston j, and rod k, air-cham- In testimony whereof I have signed my name 20 her I, whistle u, and rod 02, carrying the disk 0, to this specification in the presence of two suball arranged for joint operation substantially scribing witnesses.

to as set forth. E. NORRIS SULLIVAN.

2. The combination of the bar b, lever 0, con- Witnesses: nection 7:, piston and rod j k with a cord or OSCAR P. GREENE,

wire, 25, extending to adista-nt station,by means J 0s. H. ADAM. 

